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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633986">Reactions to Tea: Ozai's Reaction</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinistercinnamon/pseuds/sinistercinnamon'>sinistercinnamon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Taste of Tea [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(kinda), Angst, Child Abuse, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, POV Ozai (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Past Rape/Non-con, Past non-consensual drug use, Protective Ozai, Victim Blaming, Warning: Ozai, Zuko (Avatar) Needs Therapy, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, but an attempt is made??, still an asshole though because of course he is</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:07:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinistercinnamon/pseuds/sinistercinnamon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to The Taste of Tea.</p><p>[ <i>Ozai backhanded him, sending him sprawling to the floor.</i></p><p><i>“How dare you think you can command me, in my throne room!” his father snarled down at him as the flames around the throne blazed higher. “You will tell me, or join your uncle in prison.”</i> ]</p><p>Ozai wants to know why his brother chose to kill an Admiral with an exemplary military record. He does not like the answer he gets.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ozai &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Past Zhao/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Taste of Tea [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>510</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reactions to Tea: Ozai's Reaction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>-<strong>Zuko</strong>-</em>
</p><p>Zuko fell to the floor and bowed before his father, awaiting his judgement. Yes, there had been a grand ceremony welcoming his and Azula’s return, his title of Crown Prince had been restored, and there’d been no mention made of him being considered an enemy of the Fire Nation, and none of those things would have been the case without the Firelord’s permission.</p><p>But that wasn’t the same thing as him receiving his father’s blessing.</p><p>And Zuko had failed in his mission; he hadn’t caught and defeated the Avatar. Azula had. He might have helped, but he’d never known his father to give marks for participation.</p><p>He stared into the polished floor of the throne room, as Father began speaking.</p><p>“You have been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you.” Was that… <em>praise</em>? “You have redeemed yourself, my son.”</p><p>Sensing his father standing up and stepping forward, he looked up at last to see his father properly for the first time in three years (<em>for the first time since</em>…)</p><p>“Welcome home.” He didn’t smile, but he wasn’t frowning either, which was close enough in Zuko’s experience.</p><p>He knelt quietly as his father walked around the trench of flames in front of the throne and approached him, not having been given even implied permission to speak yet.</p><p>“I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because, when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing, and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar.”</p><p>It was just as well that Father had circled round behind him, as he couldn’t keep the surprise off his face.</p><p>He swallowed, nervously, making sure his voice wasn’t going to betray him. “What did you hear?”</p><p>“Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth.”</p><p>Even for a liar as accomplished as his sister, he was amazed she had managed to keep a straight face saying that.</p><p>Ozai moved around to be back in front of him again, and he did his best to school his face into an expression that hopefully said, ‘Yes I Am The Ruthless Killer Of A Twelve Year Old Kid’.</p><p>“I just want to know one thing,” he said, frowning, and Zuko’s heart stopped. <em>He suspects Azula’s story is a lie</em>. He braced himself for a question about some minor detail or other about the Avatar’s death, something that would make it obvious that Zuko could not have dealt the killing blow, while weighing up what he’d do if Father called him out on the lie (double down on the story, or be honest and throw himself on his father’s mercy?).</p><p>But what his father said was, “Why did my brother murder Admiral Zhao? I just cannot understand what he had to gain by it.”</p><p>Zuko was unable to think properly, frozen in panic, not expecting this question (<em>but he should have</em>). His expression must have given him away, because his father’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. He couldn’t simply claim he had no idea why his uncle had done such a thing.</p><p>Knowing it was futile, but hoping to get away without revealing his shame, he bowed his head, pleading, “Please, Father, Uncle acted as he saw fit to punish him for what he’d done.”</p><p>Ozai grabbed Zuko’s chin and yanked his head up to meet his gaze.</p><p>“Do not presume to tell me what he should and should not be punished for,” his father commanded in a deceptively bland tone, but his hand felt far too hot on his face and Zuko began shaking at the memories invoked by his father standing over him like this.</p><p>To his relief, his father pulled his hand away with a sneer. “And what crime did Zhao commit that were so heinous that my brother saw fit to punish him in such a dishonourable way?”</p><p>Zuko hesitated. He needed to be honest here. It was a direct command from his father, from the Firelord himself. And he owed it to Uncle to give the full story behind his actions. But he didn’t <em>want</em> to.</p><p>Especially not in front of an audience. He couldn’t see the guards, hidden in the shadows, but he knew they were there.</p><p>He could sense his father’s growing impatience with how long he was taking to answer, and knowing it was a mistake even as he spoke, he blurted out, “I can’t tell you in front of other people. I would like the guards to leave, please.”</p><p>It was an impudent request, and phrased exceptionally badly, and the reaction was both immediate and expected.</p><p>Ozai backhanded him, sending him sprawling to the floor.</p><p>“How dare you think you can command me, in my throne room!” his father snarled down at him as the flames around the throne blazed higher. “You will tell me, or join your uncle in prison.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>-<strong>Ozai</strong>-</em>
</p><p>Ozai glared down as his son cowered before him, just as he had three years ago. It seemed his travels had not changed him so much after all. (He certainly did not seem ruthless enough to have killed the Avatar, and Ozai wondered what his daughter was playing at, saying that he had.)</p><p>He pulled himself back into a kneeling position, then took several deep breaths and made a visible effort to rein in his shaking, as Ozai waited for him to reveal whatever ‘crime’ Iroh was alleging Admiral Zhao had committed.</p><p>For all his preparation, his words come out so quietly that Ozai could barely make them out. So quietly that he was convinced he must have misheard.</p><p>“Speak up,” he commanded, sharply.</p><p>Zuko jerked, and tried again, louder this time.</p><p>“Father, he- He raped me. On several occasions.”</p><p>“He did <em>what</em>?” Cold rage flooded through Ozai, and behind him the flames surged, sending out an intense wave of heat. Banished and worthless as he was, Zuko was still a member of the royal family. That Zhao had <em>dared</em>…</p><p>“He- Father, he-,” he swallowed. “He drugged me and- and forced himself on me while I was unconscious.”</p><p>“And you did nothing to stop him?” he sneered as he paced before his son, barely able to contain his fury.</p><p>Zuko flinched.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Father,” he pleaded, bowing deeply. “I realise that I should have done something, but Uncle was always insistent on my spending time with him, and he was skilled at sneaking drugs into my tea, and you clearly favoured him so I thought…”</p><p>He trailed off, paling as he realised he was treading dangerously close to accusing him of complicity.</p><p>“You thought <em>what</em>?” He stopped pacing and glared down at his son. “Have I ever once given you the impression that I am willing to tolerate <em>disrespect</em>?”</p><p>“No! No I swear! I- It’s just…” Another deep breath. “Zhao <em>did</em> leave me with that impression. He never outright said it, but…”</p><p>He snarled. How dare Zhao drag him into his depravity?</p><p>“And I did try to tell Uncle, but he wouldn’t listen. So I thought- I’m sorry.”</p><p>Of course the old fool who had abandoned a siege in disgrace would not care about shame being brought to his family line. It was a miracle he had stepped in eventually.</p><p>“How many people know about this?”</p><p>The last thing he needed was for word to get out that the royal line had been shamed in this way.</p><p>Zuko hesitated before he answered, apparently thinking. “Just Uncle.” Then he added, “Though, I don’t know if Zhao told anyone.”</p><p>“Good. The fewer people who know that you refused to fight back on <em>more</em> than one occasion, the better.”</p><p>“Yes, Father.”</p><p>“You did not kill the Avatar, did you?” It was phrased as a question, but both of them knew it was not.</p><p>There was a long, long moment where Zuko weighed up whether to stick to Azula’s story in the hope that whatever game she was playing would work out for him, or be honest and show that he really was the loyal son he’d claimed to be.</p><p>He made the right choice. “No, Father.”</p><p>“So why did your sister tell me that you did?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I swear I don’t. If it was anyone else I would just say they were being nice by sharing credit but…” He shook his head. “I’m sure she had her reasons.”</p><p>“But the Avatar is dead, yes?” That was the important thing; who struck the actual killing blow was irrelevant.</p><p>A pause. “I can’t see how he could have survived Azula’s strike, Father.”</p><p>Then there was nothing more to be said on the matter.</p><p>“You are dismissed, Prince Zuko.”</p><p>His son bowed again, then rose and walked away.</p><p>Ozai waited until he had left before turning round.</p><p>“Captain.”</p><p>She stepped out of the shadows and bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty?”</p><p>“I believe Admiral Zhao’s former flagship is currently docked here?”</p><p>The woman bowed; she obviously had no idea, but if the Fire Lord said the ship was in port, then the ship was in port, and woe betide anyone who disagreed.</p><p>“Have the crew rounded up and prepared for interrogation.”</p><p>Zhao might be dead, but there were undoubtedly people in his crew who knew what was going on and had failed to report it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>-<strong>the tea server</strong>-</em>
</p><p>It had been strange enough that everyone had been escorted off the ship to be interrogated, but even stranger still, he’d only been asked about his time serving tea for Zhao. Perhaps Admiral Yun, who had replaced him as commander of the Northern Fleet, had died as well, and these were simple security checks before assigning them to someone else, just to make sure their next commander didn’t meet a similar fate.</p><p>He’d obviously skirted around some of the aspects of his job. It wasn’t as if they would probably care what a now-dead Admiral did in his spare time, even if it concerned a prince, since he was banished and obviously fair game. But they might draw certain conclusions based on how the Admiral had met his end, wonder if he might be connected in some way.</p><p>After a great many questions, he was escorted to a small room. It was plain and unadorned, but there were no restraints or bars, and there were other people there, so he took this as a good sign.</p><p>Until he considered who the other people were.</p><p>Soldiers who were part of Admiral Zhao’s personal guard. The ship’s medic who had supplied… certain substances when requested. A pai sho-playing lieutenant who had been told to distract General Iroh one evening and carefully avoided asking why the Admiral had wanted Prince Zuko alone.</p><p>He told himself this was just a coincidence.</p><p>And then the Firelord walked in, the door closing behind him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Congratulations, Ozai. Please take your Not Quite As Much Of An Asshole As You Could Have Been award &amp; get out. No, that World's Greatest Dad mug still isn't yours.</p><p> </p><p>You can find me on Tumblr at <a href="https://maiqueen.tumblr.com/">Maiqueen</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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